The Baltimore City Not for Sale Coalition celebrated the historic defeat of Question H during a rally on Thursday, as nineties music blared from speakers and chants of “not for sale” filled the air of an abnormally warm autumn day.
They had one message: they aren’t backing down.
Question H, pushed by a group called People for Economic Accountability and Civic Engagement (PEACE), would have shrunk the Baltimore City Council nearly in half. Opponents of the measure believe that would have greatly reduced representation for Baltimore residents, further driving inequity in a city with an infamous history of redlining and inequality.
That effort was funded with over $400,000 from David Smith, a media mogul who lives in Baltimore County and is known for his conservative views. Smith is the chairman of the Sinclair Broadcast Group, the parent company of local outlet WBFF-Fox 45, and is also the co-owner of the Baltimore Sun.
Coalition leaders like Ashley Esposito, who is part of a group called Baltimore for Democracy, believe Smith will finance more ballot measures in the future and they are ready to keep up the fight.
“Let me be clear, this fight was about more than just the reduction of the city council or any single policy issue that was about keeping our local democracy intact, about maintaining our power. Our communities, as people, who deserve to have a say in what happens here,” said Esposito. “We made sure that those in power understand we will not let special interests decide our future.
It is the first time in over 20 years that Baltimore City voters have rejected a ballot question.
“I think that folks think that Baltimoreans are stupid and we're very smart people in Baltimore, we see through all the deceit, all the lies, all the constant bias, political hack job reporting,” said Mayor Brandon Scott about the measure’s defeat during a press conference the morning after the election.
Smith is no stranger to city politics: he helped finance PEACE’s efforts to impose term limits on city elected officials, which was successful in 2022. He also heavily financed a Super PAC that supported Sheila Dixon for Baltimore mayor during the May primary election. Scott defeated Dixon handily.
“Aren’t there more urgent issues to address than David Smith? David Smith isn’t responsible for Baltimore’s inefficiency, high taxes, skyrocketing water bills, rising crime, or failing schools?” said Jovani Patterson, the chairman of PEACE, in an emailed statement to WYPR.
During Thursday’s rally, the diverse groups of social justice organizations, labor unions, and elected officials, including City Council President-Elect Zeke Cohen, credited their grassroots efforts to their success.
“Question H was paid for by one man trying to impose his agenda on the many– an agenda that sought to create dysfunction in Baltimore City,” said Courtney Jenkins, president of the Metropolitan Baltimore AFL Central Labor Council. “When we educate and organize voters, we win… our unions, together with community faith, civil rights organizations and elected officials stood together in solidarity.”
“Question H was never about one person; it was about pushing for a more efficient and accountable government that puts Baltimore’s residents first and returns power back to the people,” Patterson wrote to WYPR.
As for the opposition, the process could be improved, said Esposito in an interview after the rally. Next time, she thinks groups can organize together even earlier– they can prevent Smith-backed measures from getting on the ballot in the first place.
